The long way to Grandview Panera...

I like the exterior...very retro, no?

It was a big day this past Saturday at the Grandview Panera. Joining me on this outing was Amy, the pregnant one...Abby, the vegetarian...and Kelly, the non-dog lover. Prior to the Panera visit, I met Abby downtown for a run. In typical Ohio fashion, the weather made a 180 degree turn in one day. Friday was sunny and gorgeous with a high in the sixtys...Saturday morning was sunny, but COLD and WINDY!

Back to the review...Abby, Kelly, and I picked up Amy and drove down to the Grandview Panera. Amy lives about 10 minutes north of downtown...and while driving to pick Amy up we passed at least 2 other Paneras that I could think of that would have been more convenient to go to than the Grandview Panera. Suprisingly, everyone accepted the fact that Grandview Panera was next on my list, and didn't complain. What great friends.

After driving all the way around Kelly's Barn*(See random notes for explanation of this phrase) to get to this Panera, we had difficulty finding a parking spot. Grandview Panera is located in a quiant area of town with lots of coffee shops and retail stores...it resembles a small town downtown...but trendier, if that makes sense.

Finally finding a spot to park, we enter the Panera. The layout is identical to the Clintonville Panera.

The food...

The REVIEW.
Date visited: Saturday, Feb. 19
Time of day: 11AM
Those in attendance: Me, Abby, Amy, Kelly
Items ordered:
Me: Old faithful...sierra turkey, greek salad, baguette, tea
Amy: Water
Abby: Veggie sandwich, greek salad
Kelly: Ham cheese sandwich and mac n cheese

So I ordered old faithful again...and I think I am done ordering this. This blog has forced me to try other things off the menu, and the sierra turkey has dropped down as the number one go-to in my mind.

You will notice that Amy only ordered water. She had already ate waffles with her baby daddy slash husband, Ray...but wanted to join us for some coffee talk. I offered to get her a pastry but she declined.

Abby had the veggie sandwich, but hardly ate any of it.

Kelly was kind enough to let us try the mac n cheese. This item has been on my bucket list of things to order, but I never do. After trying the mac n cheese, I will definitely order this soon. It reminds me of Velveeta shells, but much better...and it is white cheddar. If you don't like Velveeta, you probably won't like Panera's version.

Random NOTES.

• We sat in a booth. I sat on the inside of the booth, and Amy sat down next to me. She got up abruptly and claimed that the seat was messed up. I was focused on my food, and thought she was crazy. She switched with Kelly, and Kelly confirmed the cushion was missing from her side of the seat. I later sat in that seat and can confirm that fact myself.
• Abby and Kelly got overserved on Friday night. Kelly seemed to still be overserved throughout lunch and the ride home. Also, Abby sat facing the door. At one point, Abby quickly ducked down in the booth and covered her face. Apparently Abby and Kelly became BFFs with a group of people at the bar, and one of them showed up at Panera. It was quite entertaining to see how you can have two personalities...one when you are drinking and another one sober. To copy the style of  Fearless and Laughing...here's quote to always live by: "Always do sober what you said you would do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
• They had brownies as the sample....and they were delightful.
• As I write this, on Thursday Feb. 24 at 8PM...Amy has yet to give birth. I picked this date in the poll...looks like I didn't win this one.
• Kelly's Barn: This is a phrase stolen from my grandma and dad. I don't know if it is just a Southeastern Ohio thing, but I find this phrase both entertaining and fun. It means you went the long way around to get somewhere. This phrase perfectly describes how we ended up at Grandview Panera...we drove all around Kelly's Barn to get there.

All business at Easton Panera

I am far behind on my Panera reviews. Last week, I visited the Easton Panera. I had a meeting that morning at the Easton office, and decided to have some tea and do some work beforehand at the Panera. I had been to this Panera a handful of times previously, but this visit will be considered the "official" visit.

As this was a visit during the week, during business hours, I would classify this visit as "all business". It was amazing to look around the restaurant and see so many people in business suits with laptops, and meetings. I would say that 95% of the people there were working.

The REVIEW.
Date visited: Thursday, Feb. 17
Time of day: 8AM
Those in attendance: flying solo with my laptop
Items ordered: Unsweet tea.

I really wanted to order an interesting drink...but I just couldn't find anything that would work. Plus when you order a fancy drink, it's more than I want to pay. So I settled on old faithful, the unsweet tea.

After getting my drink I scanned the all business crowd in search of a seat near an outlet. I found a two-seater and got set up at that table. Sitting directly in front of me in a booth, however, were 2 Panera employees. It looked like they were on a break, and about to finish up. I prefer a booth, and the booths at the Easton Panera all have outlets. So it was to my advantage to take that seat. To my luck, within 5 minutes the employees got up...and I swooped in to take the booth.

I spent about 45 minutes getting some work done on the computer and packed up.

Although I didn't get food at this Panera, I will write it up as a good atmosphere, and nice layout. It would be interesting to see the crowd on a Saturday versus a workday. My guess is that I would not be impressed, as I suspect it would be crowded and loud. The crowd on this visit was quiet, and there was no rush to hurry up and get out of there.

Random NOTES.

• There was a sample tray.
• No community room.
• I mentioned 95% of the people there were either working on a laptop or in some sort of business meeting...it just so happens that the 5% that weren't there on business sat right next to me. It was a mother, daughter combo...along with the daughters twin babies. The common comment that passerbys would say to the young mother, "Boy, you have your hands full!" I heard that phrase or some variation at least 3 times, from 3 different people. I made no comments to the lady (shocking). But I did wonder if that lady gets annoyed when she keeps hearing the same comments over and over again.

Just wash it down with a fishbowl...The UD Panera review.



The front entrance.

 I had an unexpected, very random visit to my alma mater, UD. I had to be in the Dayton area today for work...and I made detour to the UD Panera, located on Brown St.

Though I was tempted to call it a day and relive the glory years, with a fishbowl at The Fieldhouse, I made my way into the Panera for a late lunch. (Late for me at least. It was 1:30)

If you don't remember, I talked about this Panera location in my very first blog post. It was this Panera that I DESPISED going to during my college years. As I discussed in detail in that posting, I always thought Panera was too expensive.

My first impression upon walking into this Panera, was....wow, I am OLD! Not surprisingly, the place was swarming with college kids. Most of them were dressed quintessentially college casual...sweat pants, sweat shirts...and some even in shorts! As it was 1:30, I can imagine many of them had just woken up from a rough Thursday night...and decided to get a meal in them before the Friday night festivities began.

Either way, it was borderline annoying. I tend to dislike a crowded Panera, and a crowded Panera filled with college students, certainly didn't get my goat.

Back to the review.
Date/Time of visit: Feb. 18, 1:30PM
Those in attendance: just me
Items ordered: Thai Chicken Salad that came with a baguette...and of course the unsweet tea.



The food

 I had been hearing a lot of good things about the Thai Chicken Salad that appeared on the menu a few months ago...so out of curiosity, and for the sake of this blog, I ordered it. I would rank it as good...but I don't think I would order again. The ginger dressing is quite deceiving. At first bite, you think it is sweet. By the time you have had a few bites, you feel that kick of spice from seemingly nowhere! I enjoyed that aspect...but, I will warn my non-spicy food loving friends that you probably can't handle that salad. Sorry, that's just a fact.

The My Panera card came in handy again today...as I had accrued a free drink! I happily cashed in on that, as my total bill came to $10.37. But with the My Panera free drink, it came in at just under $9. (Another reason the salad will not be ordered again)

Despite the crowd, I was able to find a nice quiet table near the window facing Brown Street. It was fun people watching.

Random NOTES.

• The napkin situation was a nightmare. Typically, when you get your food at a Panera, they have two napkins on the plate for you. That wasn't the case today. They did not put the napkins on my plate. I looked around the prep area and didn't see any napkins there either. So I started walking toward my table, and noticed there was an island that had the coffee and sugars, straws, etc. I looked all over that area, and still no napkins. I decided to forgo the napkins for this meal. Thankfully, a salad doesn't require much napkin usage, so I survived.
• So, I ordered the Thai Chicken Salad today...and literally 3 hours later, I get a text from my friend Schramms, who lives in Orlando, that she just ordered that very same salad for the first time! What are the chances? She ordered hers takeout, and commented on how much of a rip-off the Panera take-home containers are. I concur.
• Community Rooms...yes that's PLURAL! They had not one, but two community rooms. One in the back and one in the front. I guess that's for the campus lifestyle? Not sure.
• This trip makes me want to do a Dayton bar hop. Would anyone like to go over there sometime soon?



Some of us drinking the a fishbowl last year @ The Fieldhouse.



Reunited and it feels so good...My Hilton Head Panera review!

HHI Panera entrance.

My adventures in the Lowcountry continue...this installment of my blog details the HHI Panera visit. While I had been quite excited to get back to the HHI Panera, it was not my first stop. My first stop was a trip down memory lane to the Atlanta Bread Company. During my tenure in Hilton Head, the only Panera Bread I could go to within an hour's drive was is in Savannah. So it was ABC that was my cafe bakery of choice when in the south. My detailed review of ABC can be found here.

Getting back to the Panera story...I moved back to Ohio in September, 2008. Just shortly before my move back to Ohio, a Panera Bread opened on the south-end of the island! Before the big move, I visited this Panera a handful of times.

Fast forward to February, 2011...and I was once again reunited with the south-end Panera Bread!

THE REVIEW:
Dates visited: 3 visits. Feb. 10 + Feb. 11 (Drive-Thru) + Feb. 11 again
Items ordered:
Feb. 10: Power breakfast sandwich and an unsweet tea
Feb. 11 AM (Drive-thru): Unsweet tea
Feb. 11 PM: Unsweet tea
Those in attendance:
Feb. 10: Deb. She had the cinnamon crisp bagel and a coffee. We also split a pumpkin muffin top, that was complimentary thanks to the MY PANERA card.
Feb. 11 AM (Drive-thru): Deb...I had to go through the drive-thru. This visit was almost forced. I needed some caffeine. Deb didn't didn't get anything.
Feb. 11 PM: Mary Pat, my former co-worker and friend from Bluffton Today. We met to have a coffee. Naturally, I had tea.

The meals.

My first visit on Feb. 10 with Deb was a morning visit, about 8 AM. It seems that a lot of my visits back to HHI revolve around food and alcohol...this trip was no exception. In an effort to not be a complete glutton, I tried to be good. I ordered the power breakfast sandwich. It consists of egg, ham, and cheese on whole wheat bread. (Ok that doesn't sound too healthy. But hey, they certainly market this thing to be super healthy...and it doesn't hurt that it's name sounds bad ass "Power Breakfast Sandwich") Deb and I also split the free muffin top and based on my eating from this past week, I may have created my own muffin top. I think the breakfast sandwich was good. Would I order it again? Probably only if I just want, well...a power breakfast sandwich. I would have ordered more from the menu, but I had a list of restaurants I wanted to visit before the weeks end. (Wild Wings, Big Bamboo, Kobe, La Hacienda, etc.)



The drive-thru!



They say you will always remember your first...My Feb. 11 visit to the HHI drive-thru was my first Panera drive-thru experience. Needless to say, I was super excited! I really wish I could have ordered a sandwich from the drive-thru so I could rate the efficiency of the drive-thru...but again, not enough time to do everything. Deb was able to visit the drive-thru last year with my sister Valerie. They ordered sandwiches. Deb claims it was fast and efficient. I think I will write more about the Panera Drive-Thru's on a separate blog. I have a lot of input on this topic. Stay tuned.

My final Panera visit on HHI was later that day for 'tea' with Mary Pat. It was a nice visit, as it was about 3PM, and the restaurant was fairly empty. We sat by one of the windows and caught up on all the office gossip.

Overall the atmosphere of Panera blows ABC out of the water! The colors, the layout, the people, the music.

I notice that the Atlanta Bread Company that once was in Bluffton is now an IHOP...and interestingly enough, a Panera Bread is being constructed at the Tanger I outlet in Bluffton just a mile down the road from the former ABC.

Looks like my next HHI area visit will include my take on the new Bluffton Panera!


Random Notes:

• On the drive down to just before the HHI exit on 95, a Panera Bread semi passed us. Some may call that a coincidence. I call it fate.

I took a quick snapshot while driving of the truck...

• I must give a shout out to my good friend, Mandy, otherwise known by her "island" name, Amanda. She is a teacher in Bluffton. Despite our best efforts, we could not meet up at Panera...again, too many other places to see. I hope that we can reconnect for that Bluffton visit, or perhaps even a Panera Ohio visit.

The show down: Panera vs. Atlanta Bread Co.

The entrance to the HHI Atlanta Bread Co.

I lived in the Hilton Head, SC area for about four years. During my time at HHI, I became accustomed to the casual cafe bakery chain...Atlanta Bread Company. Not being aware of how strong my true love for Panera Bread was at this time, I always enjoyed my ABC visits. It was ABC that we would frequent after church on Sunday, for an early morning breakfast, or even for a meeting with potential customers for lunch. Yes, ABC was always a good time. My menu item of choice was the "Half & Half", the ABC version of Panera's "Pick 2". I would typically order the ham and cheese sandwich with a greek salad, and the unsweet tea.

I can recall going to Panera on some of my visits home to Ohio and thinking that Panera was way better than ABC. I always wished for a Panera to come to the island. That dream came true, only a couple of months before I moved back to Ohio.

My dog, Boomer on the ride home. He is really good in the car,
but for some reason always looks so pathetic.

This past week, in one last attempt to escape Ohio's winter I packed up the car along with Deb (my mom) and my 4-legged friend, Boomer! I already warned Deb of my plans to review the HHI Panera, so she was fully aware of the inevitable Panera visit. What I neglected to warn her about was the fact that I needed to visit ABC from the eyes of a "Panera Addict".

On the very first morning in HHI, I steered off course and drove to the HHI Atlanta Bread Co, located on the north end of the island. Immediately upon walking into the establishment, I felt a sense of comfort. This ABC represents a fun time in my life...and now represents the fact that I am on vacation when I visit.

Despite this sense of initial comfort, my critical Panera Addict eyes soon awoke. The overall atmosphere of an ABC is far less superior to ANY Panera. It is hard to explain how this is so, I think it just comes down to the fact that Panera's seem to be decorated so much warmer. ABC's are decorated very plainly...white walls, brown floors, natural wood tables. In a word, "blah". I never noticed this "blahness" until my finely tuned "Panera Addict" eyes took over...so I really doubt many other people notice this. I do challenge you to compare for yourself. You might be surprised.

The items ordered. Note the "Pink" magazine. I usually pick up a
copy when I visit the ABC to read up on all things HHI.

I ordered half of a ham sandwich and the black bean and corn salad, with an unsweet tea, of course. Deb opted for a cinnamon raisin bagel and a coffee. Comparing the food is much more difficult than reviewing the overall look and feel of the cafes. On one hand, I enjoyed the options available at ABC. But on the other hand, the sandwiches and salads at Panera are much better. One of my favorite surprises was the black bean and corn salad. It was 9AM and I wanted something with a little substance, and I remember from experience that the ABC breakfast sandwiches are nothing to write home about. But I didn't want a full lunch meal. I was happy to see the "half-sandwich" option...and even happier to learn that it comes with my choice of either: Chips, cookie, potato salad or the black bean/corn salad. And I think it was priced around $4. What variety!! The black bean salad was AWESOME.

For all of you sweet tooths out there...Deb's experience confirms that Panera is still King of the bakery. In an effort to find a suitable substitute to the Panera cinnamon crisp bagel, Deb settled for the cinnamon raisin bagel. And "settle" she did. It was no match for Panera. In further conversation, Deb also acknowledged that the Panera bakery items are way better than ABC.

Let's recap:
FOOD:
ABC has some interesting options on their menu, like the black bean and corn salad. When it comes to food quality, however, Panera is the winner.

ATMOSPHERE:
Hands down Panera is the winner.

PRICE:
The ABC "Half/Half" was $7.19, and it doesn't come with the option of chips, baguette or apple. Panera's "Pick 2" runs about $6.59.

In the end....
Panera 2.5
ABC 0.5 (I give them half a point because of the black bean salad)

Panera wins!!!

My Panera, My surprise! The Clintonville visit...

How surprised I was when my, "MY PANERA" card was swiped this past Saturday and I received $2 off my meal!! What a great reward. My friend Amy, the pregnant one, joined me on this outing...and I immediately turned to Amy upon hearing the news and proclaimed what a great deal that was! Previously, the only rewards I have been getting were a free bagel and/or pastry. 2 bucks off a Pick 2, in my book, made my day!

I had been looking forward to visiting this Clintonville Panera, located on North High Street for some time now. This was my first visit to this Panera. If you are not familiar with this area, Clintonville is a nicer neighborhood of Columbus, located about 10-15 miles north of OSU campus. This Panera is located next to a Chipotle and some other retailers inside of a strip center. I would say the building is fairly new, maybe 6 years or so?

THE REVIEW.
Date visited: Saturday, January 29
Attendance: Myself and Amy
Time of Day: 11 AM
Items ordered:
Me: Pick 2 combo, with the turkey artichoke sandwich and a greek salad. Wheat baguette, and unsweet tea.
Amy: Pick 2 combo, with the Frontega Chicken sandwich and the french onion soup. Wheat baguette and a drink...I think it was water, but it could have been sprite?

That's Amy pictured. She was concerned after she realized I was taking pictures for the blog.

I am trying to order items off the menu that I wouldn't normally...for the sake of my fans. (Note the sarcasm) So on this visit, I really went out of my comfort zone and ordered the turkey artichoke, upon a recommendation from my friend, Megan. I must admit...this sandwich was delightful! If you haven't tried this one, put it on your list of must-haves! The description reads as such from the menu:

Smoked turkey, spinach artichoke spread, Asiago-Parmesan cheese,

tomatoes & caramelized onions, grilled hot on our Focaccia.

I wanted to order a bowl of soup instead of the salad, but I got nervous at the last minute, and went with what I knew...I was already trying a new sandwich, and going for a new soup would have been overkill. Predictably...the greek salad was good. As was the baguette, and of course the unsweet tea.

In regards to Amy's order...I must say I am a little fuzzy on the details. I am 95% sure she ordered the Frontega Chicken Panini. Amy, if you are reading this, please confirm. Also, her go-to soup is the french onion, which she did order. Overall, I believe Amy would recommend her meal.

The LAYOUT.

My vantage point from the table.

This was fairly busy for an 11 AM visit, but not packed. There is a pretty big space between the entrance and the cashiers...similar to the Westerville Panera. From the entrance there are 2 main seating areas, one to the left which is a smaller, more quaint setting...and then the main dining area to the right. We sat to the left...not necessarily by choice. There weren't many options left.

I liked this Panera, and I would visit this one again.

Random NOTES.

• I forgot to check out the bathrooms...sorry no bathroom review. But I sense they would be decent.
• This Panera also had the bar seating area, like the Dublin Panera.
• My biggest complaint about going to Panera with Amy is that she is always in a rush to leave...ironically, on this visit, I had to rush us out. I don't think Amy will let me live this one down.
• Amy is pregnant, and is about to pop any day now. There is a poll on when the baby will be born and the sex. It costs a dollar to get in.